Backyard Walkway Extension - Complete

 Quick post to document completion of the walkway extension in the backyard. I almost started this when mom and dad were here but I would have spent too much time working on it and not enough time with them.  Took me about 4 days to complete and spent probably 5 hours a day on it. I'm happy with it, I wasn't sure if I wanted to do a brick paver walkway here but that would have required additional brick purchases, tool rental, and several more days of work. I already had just about everything I needed for the extension, only had to buy the 24" x 24" porcelain pavers (3), 2 bags of leveling sand, and the weed barrier. That cost about $85 with Dad's 10% discount.  Anyhow, here it is....

Before...

Removing all the old grass with my trusty sidekick supervising.

I had to make sure there was an even grade for water runoff (pretty much already graded), so I leveled it and compacted it a few times over 2 days.

I borrowed my buddy's 'tamper' to compact the dirt each round.

I was pretty comfortable cutting brick after my first project under the deck but I had never done a rounded corner before. This required a total of 4 cuts per brick; a cut on each side for a specific pie-shaped angle, then flip the brick and make the same two cuts on the back side since my "tile" saw blade didn't cut through the entire brick. It was a bit tedious but it moved at a decent pace and wasn't very frustrating. I used leveling sand to make it easier to keep a level line.

First turn complete and I pleased with the progress.  Probably took close to an hour for the entire turn...not terrible.d

Second turn complete and weed barrier in place.

Used more leveling sand to ensure a flat platform to install the porcelain pavers on.  I kept a slight grade for water runoff, which isn't noticeable when stepping on them. I built the frame with scrap wood I had at home and wood screws dad and J removed from the deck with we worked on that project a year ago. The frame made it much easier to complete the work.

Finished product below, just needed to clean the bricks to show their true color.  I rubbed leveling sand across the top of the bricks to help fill in gaps in between them so they looked more dirty that colored. I also sprayed down the pea gravel, which I moved from the main section under the deck since I had plenty, which is why it looks slightly darker than under the deck. 

I thought about building a brick landing outside the door but if I wanted to buy matching brick, they only sell it in straps of 92...and I didn't need nearly that much brick. In the end, I think I had 4 of 5 spare bricks from the 184 I originally purchased so it worked out perfect. I can keep a few spares in case any of them crack or need to be replaced.

And finally, dad and I hung a string of outdoor lights under the deck so I have the option of dim lighting when I'm chilling in the hammock. I have a temporary electrical solution in place but will likely modify it to be code-compliant with a power outlet and switch to turn the lights on and off (have to plug/unplug an extension cable at this point).  Anyhow, this is my happy place.  Might be more to come in the backyard...thinking about a fire pit but would need buy-in from the family.  Not worth the hassle if no one is interested.  

Under Deck Renovation Project - July 2026

I've been wanting to do something with the space under the deck ever since the kids stopped playing in the backyard years ago.  The grass grows in some areas but not all, it gets muddy when it rains, and it creates a dust storm when I cut under the deck.  I'd been wanting to make the space maintenance-free and more aesthetically pleasing and thought about several possible solutions. Michelle and I agreed on a plan after using AI to view modified pictures of what our ideas would look like.  I started planning for the project and work was completed between July 16 - 30.  Estimated cost for the project is ~$960.

Before pictures:

I used the van to pickup 1 cubic yard of top soil (equivalent to 27 bags of 1 cubic foot bags) in order to regrade under the deck for drainage purposes.

The darker soil is the new stuff I used for grading.  You can see the new black drain towards the base of deck landing, which I piped into the existing water drainage system I previously installed.  You can also see the new line I cut into the grass, where the water will run from grass to the rocks.

I got both kids to help out for a bit; Jonathan lugged the river rock from the car to the backyard while Kaitlyn started spreading the rocks.

With the water runoff section complete, it was time to rope off the main section and start removing the remainder of grass.  After all grass was removed, I spent time ensuring proper grading for additional water runoff in this section. Once that was done, it was time to start laying the brick border.

This first section took 2 days to complete but I was very pleased with the result.  I bought a used tile saw to make all cuts in the brick.

Next step was to complete the brick border near the river stone on the back side. 

This also took 2 days to complete as I didn't have much time either day I was working on it.

Here are a few views of some of the brick work and cuts I made.  I haven't worked with brick before so I was pleased with the results.

After a little more grading, I laid the weed barrier in preparation for the final step.

The final product included 2 cubic yards of pea gravel that I had delivered on the side street.  It was an estimated 5,600 lbs of gravel that I had to move from the side yard to under the deck.  Jonathan got home from work when I was mostly complete but I was happy to have his help to finish it off. 

I love the final product, it was a lot of work but i'm pleased to finally have this work complete.  Enjoy the pics.

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia Trip - August 17-22, 2024

 Quick post to share a few pictures from my recent trip to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.  The flight out was ~12.5 hours from Dulles to Doha, Qatar followed by a 1.5 hour flight to Riyadh.  As we approached Riyadh, I spent a little time looking out the window and a saw a whole lot of dirt and sand...not much else.  Riyadh is surrounded by the an-Nafud desert, which is the second largest desert on the Arabian peninsula.

The flight intentionally flew around Israel, Gaza and Lebanon and I'm guessing it's due to the ongoing war in Gaza and potential war with Lebanon. 

Driving in from the airport, the driver pointed out a bunch craness off to our right and said Riyadh is hosting the 2034 World Cup (soccer) tournament.  Construction had already begun on the new stadium for the main event.

Similar to how a bible can be found in most American hotels, a Qur'an and prayer rug can be found in most Middle Eastern hotel rooms.

In addition, there's always an arrow on the ceiling that points to Mecca, the most holy site in the Mulsim religion, which is also located in Saudi Arabia.  Qibla means "direction" in Arabic.  

It was HOT!  In the mid-to-upper 110s every day.  As silly as it sounds, at least it was a dry heat so there was no humidity.  I went for a walk around the hotel one night at 9pm to call the family and it was still 101 degrees.  The Saudis said it was hotter than normal and should only last for another week or two.  

Waterfall in the courtyard of the embassy.  We couldn't take many pictures at the embassy, which is standard security protocol.  

Me and the technical team from the White House Communications Agency (WHCA).

 A few pictures from around Riyadh's old town.

This is Deera Square, also known as Justice Square or Chop-Chop Square as this is where many public executions take place.  Saudi Arabia is the only country with legal capital punishment through decapitation.  The last public executions were in 2022 and 196 people were executed that year.   

Ministry of Interior building.

Tabbouleh is a Lebanese salad that I'm sure you've tried with me at some point, it was my favorite side dish while in Lebanon.  I found a Lebanese take out eatery in the mall and had a nice big bowl of tabbouleh.  I was just as delicious as I remember.

This is Kingdom Tower and they have a Sky Bridge at the top of the building.  The team and I headed over on our free day (Wednesday) and were planning to walk across the sky bridge.  To our dismay, we found it was closed for 2 months due to renovation.  Boooo.

Pics from the mall at the base of Kingdom Tower.  Palm trees are fake.

With Kingdom Tower closed, we headed to Al Faisaliah Tower for a similar view of the city.  Al Faisaliah (named after a previous King (Faisal)), was the tallest building in Saudi Arabia from 2000-2002 when it was first built before another taller building was constructed.  It's the pyramid looking Tower in the below picture, it's further off in the distance but looks smaller in this picture. 

A scale model of the building located in shops at the base of the building.

The viewing platform is known as The Globe.

A portion of the Saudi team supporting our visit.  I am standing next to Faisal, who overseas IT for all of the Saudi "Royal Court".  Royal Court is basically the core of their central government.  What a wecloming and kind host, happy to talk about his culture and teach us about Saudi traditions and practices.  We shared several cups of tea and coffee (a must in the Arab culture) a long with delicious Saudi dates and other tasty snacks.  The Saudi in the middle is Salman, a nice younger guy who travels to Orlando every year for vacation.  He's a bit of a bachelor so he rents a convertible Corvette every time he goes and was proud to show us pictures with him and many beautiful women in America.  Nice guy and very welcoming as well.     

The inside of the traditional Saudi restaurant we ate at called Aseeb, which means 'palm frond' in Arabic (hence the palm fronds on the wall art). Notice the large wooden door, it was massive.  You can see the portion that opens, which is the bottom third of the door.

My favorite picture of the trip.  This is one of the traditional entertaining rooms where everyone sits along the walls so your back is not to anyone (a no-no in Saudi culture).  He told us all about the room and various aspects of it, it was interesting learning about the traditions and history.

This is 'laban', a yogurt-y buttermilk drink that is traditionally served.  It was thick, cold and tasty.

Saudi team with milk and fatayer, which is basically a type of samosa.  I didn't get any other pictures of dinner but we had various platters to share that included camel stew, lamb, sheep, goat and beef.  It was all delicious!  Too bad it was out last meal in country as we were literally heading out the airport about 2 hours after we finished the meal.

Bathroom at the airport.  Luckily, I realized there was a separate side of the bathrooms with traditional toilets.  Whew.  I was close to havint to use this.

On the plane heading home sweet home.  It's always exciting to travel and see new places and meet new people, but it's also always nice to come back home!  So long Saudi, thanks for the memories.